A Mermaid's Tears
by Magician's Niece
Summary: Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. I did not write Peter Pan.   She has always loved him, she has always watched him, and she only wanted to be with him. One shot.


Peter had grown, even if he did not recognize it. With each trip to Earth, he aged some. He no longer was a small boy with baby teeth, he was almost a man. His blonde hair was never combed and his skin was always tanned. But I wasn't the only one to recognize this.

He swooped down into our lagoon and we immediately giggled, swimming towards him. I rested my arms on a rock and let my eyes scan him. He landed on a rock and plopped himself down. We offered him berries and he graciously took them.

"Oh Peter," called Coral, her red hair brilliantly shining in the blue waters. "Tell us a story."

She batted her eyelashes and tilted her head. I scowled and laid my head on my arms.

"Oh yes Peter," the others called. "Did you ever return to Londen?"

They meant London. Stupid fish. They always batted their eyelashes and tried to seem intelligent but all they cared about was the gossip from the Ship.

"Well, I went to London and checked on Wendy…"

The mermaids grew silent and I felt my heartbeat speed up. Wendy. We all knew who she was. Knew that Peter was never the same without her. Knew he needed her in Neverland. Knew that if she came back, we would never see Peter again.

Coral saved the day.

"Well did you go to Afrikan?"

Africa. Peter smiled and launched into a tale about lions and leopards. We gasped in all the right places and giggled behind our palms. We felt the cool breeze blow against our bare backs and I stretched my tail, raising it high above the water.

I felt the ocean pull against me. It wanted us to go back to the caves. But I wanted to listen to Peter's stories. I wanted to fly above the clouds so white and soar above the starry skies. Why couldn't I have legs instead of a tail? That way I could spend time with Peter.

The others yelped and dove under the water, disappearing from sight but I stayed. I felt the pull of the ocean, the songs just waiting under the surface but had no desire to leave now.

"Peter," I said. "Will you take me one day, flying I mean?"

He looked into my eyes, his warm brown meeting my indigo. The corners of his mouth pulled into a smile and he took my hand. His felt warm and earthy. I relished it and placed both of my hands in his.

"Someday, I will. I promise you."

With a gleeful smile, I dived under the surface and swam to meet my fellow sisters.

…..

We didn't see Peter for what felt like years. He came back to Neverland but did not visit us. We heard the fairies whisper his name in the flowers by the lagoon but not once did we see him. I then did something no Neverland mermaid should do, leave the lagoon.

I swam out, rushed by the adrenaline and fear. Every now and then my head would rise to the surface to see where I was. I avoided going in deeper water and stuck to the shore, brushing the rocks with my fingertips. I turned to face the sky and closed my eyes in a short moment of bliss, letting the water rush over me.

"Look, it's a mermaid!"

I snapped my head and saw a group of boys running with excitement towards me. They wore leaves like Peter and had wide eyed innocence. Peter looked like that before he went to Earth and met….

They came with nets and draped them on me, dragging me to the shore. I was almost on the sands when I raised my hands and felt the waves wash over me and splash the boys. They yelped and turn to face me.

"I broke the rules," I said. "I left the mermaid lagoon to look for Peter. You are the Lost Boys. Can you bring him to me?"

They exchanged looks, shuffling in the sand. One boy grinned happily as he plopped himself next to me.

"Oh it's wonderful. Peter's really happy. He got Wendy back in wonderland and they were dancing with each others and…"

I couldn't hear anything more. The Lost Boys made frantic signs to stop the boy but their effects went unnoticed. I breathed heavily and pushed myself backwards, going back to the water.

"What's wrong, Miss Mermaid?"

I spun around and pushed myself until I was back swimming. The net restricted me but I ignored it, swimming as fast as I could towards the lagoon. I felt the songs pass over me, calming me, soothing me. The ocean embraced me, erased my fears and doubts. But Peter's heart belonged to Wendy. Wendy. Wendy. Wendy. We always knew she would come back. No one could resist the pull of Neverland. The weightlessness, the happiness, the adventure…We remembered when Peter first came to us, just a mere baby. We sang his lullabies, our voices carrying across the forests. Tinker Bell taught him how to fly, taught him the way of the land, but we taught him how to swim, we brought him news of the pirates. And now, we would never see him again.

….

Time doesn't pass in Neverland. But I sat in the bed of seaweed while ten happy pods of dolphins passed, while clams grew on the coral. No one came to look for me. No one even bothered. News traveled fast. The mermaids all mourned but soon went on with their gossip and shell hunting. I stayed. I cried. But tears go unnoticed when you are submerged in water.

Captain Hook came to us. He sat himself on Peter's rock and talked to us. He hadn't seen Peter for years. We hadn't felt the pass of time but Hook did. He came to Neverland on his ship. He and his crew enjoyed the game of cat and mouse with Peter. But Hook was dying, his black hair was now silver and he didn't move as quickly as he used to.

"Tell me," he said. "When was the last time you heard from Peter Pan?"

We all crowded around him and shook our heads sadly. How could we explain? We didn't say anything and Hook's eyes brimmed with tears. We all loved Peter. He was the king of Neverland. Without him, Neverland wasn't Neverland.

….

Mermaids do not die of age. We are forever young and immortal, swimming and remaining beautiful. But accidents happen. After "years" of hiding, the crocodile was back and needed food. He came into our waters and snapped at us. He snapped at our tails, teasing. We panicked and swum out, leaving our cherished lagoon forever. But not me.

"What if Peter comes back?" I cried. "What if he can't find us?"

I didn't feel anything. One minute I had a gorgeous blue tail and the next I saw red. I felt arms grasp around my wrists and was pulled away by the mermaids. I remembered their mournful faces as they deposited me in the mermaid garden and left me. They cried and I closed my eyes.

It was a very slow process. There would be pain, and no pain. A cycle. Then arms lifted me out of the water and into the air. I knew it was him; I knew he had come but closed my eyes and enjoyed the wind. My tail was weighing us down but flying was flying. I looked down, past the horrid mess of what should have been my tail and at the pearly beaches, the green trees, the flowers, the flying fairies.

I felt myself set down on a small island. Big enough for two people. It had enough moss for a bed and arms wrapped themselves around me.

"Wendy grew up. She was here but left because of her desire to grow. I hoped she would stay but…"

His face had aged but he was still my Peter. He had the same hair, the same eyes, the same sad smile.

"I promised I would take you flying and so I did…"

I grabbed his hand and pulled it to my face. It had the same earthy feel from the last time I touched him.

"I never forgave her," I breathed. "She stole your heart. Convinced all of us. Me. We would never be good enough for you."

"Who would I be? What would Neverland be without mermaids?" said Peter, tears filling his eyes. "There can be no Neverland without mermaids."

"We'll go away, Peter. The memory of me will burden my sisters. They will swim off into the unknown."

"But you'll be here. The Lost Boys, Tink. We can nurse you back to health."

I touched his face.

"Peter. Peter. Peter…."

The name drifted off past the stars, past the universes, it winded around the Earth, making a young woman bolt out of her bed. It fascinated young children. What could have such a beautiful voice but back in Neverland, the voice was dead and a boy cried himself to sleep, holding a blue mermaid in his arms.


End file.
